Cleaning Cosmoline

[Sourdough]

I just bought a rifle whose metal parts appear to be coated in Cosmoline. I'd prefer not to go redneck cleaning it off using gasoline (I guess in the future we will need to use lithium batteries). What the best/safest way to clean this off? Thanks.

 

[Tommy_Fontaine]

I just received a CMP M1 Garand covered in cosmoline, a cheap one inch paint brush and mineral spirits work excellent.

 

[Ravensview]

I have also had luck, putting it outside a hot day and wiping it off, takes several days, mineral spirits work as well, good luck that stuff Is a bugger, but it works

 

[Luvthunt]

Hot…hot water

 

[375er]

Hoppes #9 works just fine.

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

I would never use gasoline. I once saw what happened when a young boy threw a a coffee can of burning gasoline in his brothers face. They were trying to start a old car engine.

 

[Lone Star Bluegrass]

Hair dryer. Get a plastic drop cloth for painting, lay it on the floor and hit it with the hair dryer. That will get the big stuff off but you’re probably going to need to do a full disassembly and degrease each part.

Gasoline or diesel won’t hurt the metal if you can get it out of the stock. Both will evaporate relatively quickly also, so there’s no real threat as long as you leave it disassembled overnight.
Hot water works well but with some obvious risk.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

Kerosene will work fine and is the main ingredient in hoppes No.9. WD 40 would probably work as well.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Kerosene will work fine and is the main ingredient in hoppes No.9. WD 40 would probably work as well.

+1 on kerosene. It's a wonderful degreaser. I've used it once taking cosmoline off an SKS and all the time cleaning truck and dirt bike parts including foam air filters. It has a much higher combustion temp than gasoline and is very safe to use.

 

[Newboomer]

+1 on kerosene. It's a wonderful degreaser. I've used it once taking cosmoline off an SKS and all the time cleaning truck and dirt bike parts including foam air filters. It has a much higher combustion temp than gasoline and is very safe to use.

In the military we used to take new rifles in the shower with us. Lots of hot water and soap on both of us. This was back in the day of M1s, BARs and carbines.

 

[CoElkHunter]

In the military we used to take new rifles in the shower with us. Lots of hot water and soap on both of us. This was back in the day of M1s, BARs and carbines.

You're scaring me! I don't want to know what you did with the cosmoline running off the rifles. LOL

 

[JimP]

+1 on kerosene. It's a wonderful degreaser. I've used it once taking cosmoline off an SKS and all the time cleaning truck and dirt bike parts including foam air filters. It has a much higher combustion temp than gasoline and is very safe to use.

If you want a even better degreaser get some bio-diesel the higher percentage of bio as you can. If you run it through your truck anything that it touches will come out cleaner than you ever expected.

But I'd go with the mineral spirts.

 

[CoElkHunter]

If you want a even better degreaser get some bio-diesel the higher percentage of bio as you can. If you run it through your truck anything that it touches will come out cleaner than you ever expected.

But I'd go with the mineral spirts.

Yep, your right about the bio diesel. It also has the highest lubricity for keeping diesel engine's injectors, lift pumps, etc., properly lubricated since the required use of ultra low sulphur diesel started. I can't find any bio diesel around here though? I use Opti Lube additive, which was found to have the highest lubricity after bio diesel in Diesel Power Magazine's independent lubricity experiment several years ago. Haven't had to replace any injectors or anything else yet.

 

[K E Johnson]

I would never use gasoline. I once saw what happened when a young boy threw a a coffee can of burning gasoline in his brothers face. They were trying to start a old car engine.

Thanks Lon for bring this up. As a burn survivor who has seen way too many burns from gasoline, PLEASE only use gasoline for motor fuel!
I was in an arc flash incident. Volunteering on burn units speaking to patients, I have seen wayyyy too much of what the misuse of gasoline can do.

 

[SFRanger7GP]

Elevator rails come coated in the thickest cosmoline coating I have ever seen. We used mineral spirits to strip them clean.

safe shooting

 

[deewayne2003]

I helped a buddy of mine in college who had a curio/relics firearms license clean cosmoline out of countless Mauser & Nagant rifles I offer the following advice…..

The hair dryer works well, but the best is a steam gun for the metal parts, then brush all metal parts with lighter fluid.

You can soak in kerosene, but again light scrubbing with an old toothbrush after 24hrs will take the majority off, soak again and then wipe good and hang the barreled action up vertically to drip dry.

As others have stated - Do NOT use gasoline!
People really don’t respect how volatile it is and shouldn’t be use when there are safer options.